Aaron Judge is a man of his word.
The New York Yankees outfielder, while catching up with bullpen catching coach Jason Brown’s father, John, on the field prior to Sunday’s series finale at Dodger Stadium, told the elder Brown, “I’ll hit one for you tonight,” as he walked away.
A man of the people @TheJudge44 pic.twitter.com/8uDeuD3lBs
— R2C2 is UNINTERRUPTED (@R2C2) August 25, 2019
Judge delivered on that pledge in his second at-bat, crushing a 1-1 curveball from Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw to deep center field in the top of the third inning.
“That’s Aaron Judge, yeah, that’s who he is,” Jason Brown said of the Yankee star’s exchange with his father, who lives in Southern California.
Judge described the encounter to ESPN after New York’s 5-1 win.
“I’ve seen [John Brown] all over the place, and I missed seeing him when we played in Anaheim this year, so I went over there and just said hello to him and said I’d get one for him, and I was able to do that today,” Judge explained. “Wind was blowing out, though, so that helped.”
Asked if he has ever promised a home run to a fan before and then delivered, Judge replied, “I think once or twice, but it doesn’t happen too often.”
Judge later joked that he needs John Brown, whom he has known for a couple of years, to come to “every single game,” calling his presence a “lucky charm.”
The promised homer was Judge’s 16th of the season and gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Judge also homered in the first two games against the Dodgers this weekend.